I like the Appearance, Style and the full funtion remote.
I have the exact same problem with the CD player and the surround sound as other people have. I think it is time AIWA does something about this. If anybody finds a solution to this please post a message here.

Size, appearance, sound quality, and flexibility.

Lack of power & poor craftsmanship.

When I first got this mini system for my birthday I thought it was the greatest thing, and for the first year it was. Overall the sound quality was good for a mini system and it seemed like the speakers produced fairly deep bass. After about a year of use however, the cd player broke for no apparent reason, and about six months ago one of my main speakers blew. The problem is I don't even listen to it that loud, and this definitely should not have happened. I do like the flexibility it provides with a preout for a subwoofer and Dolby Pro Logic decoding. However, you might as well not use the Dolby, because you can't hear the surround speakers. They are way under powered, and hardly audible even with the volume turned all the way up on them. Overall if I wouldn't have encountered so many problems with this system I would have given it a much higher rating. As it is though I don't know if I will chance it anymore by buying Aiwa products. I was very surprised at the poor craftsmanship.

Similar Products Used:

Sony mini system

It's apperance size and sound

The cd lens and that terrible hissing noise coming out of the center and rear speakers.

The same as all the oter people having problems with the cd lens and the dolby prologic spakers
(center & rear) are to weak and make hissing sound even on very low volume.

Similar Products Used:

Older and Newer Aiwa products also Sony

Looks jazzy

All of it!!

I bought this at Target thinking it was good value for money. Man, was I wrong!! The CDs started a little before the warranty ended. I got it fixed once and then it died again after 6 months. The AIWA guys said it would cost $100 just to look at it!! One of my friends knew somebody at AIWA. That guy said I should just change some resistors to get it working again. I think this is a scam to charge less initially and then make money on repairs. I finally bought a SONY CD player which I put in through the MD port. I know two other people who bought the exact the same system and have the exact same problems. I wish I had seen this site then. I wonder if AIWA is doing anything about. Probably not, given their tech support is filled with really incompetent people. Needless to say, I WILL NEVER BUY ANY AIWA product again. If somebody figures out how to replace the optical pick-up, PLEASE post a message here.

Looks, price, size, decent bass without sub for the music I listen to.

Surround speakers and center speaker are weak.

Biggest problem I've had with it is the same as my wife's 3 Disk Aiwa that she had when we got married. The laser became so covered in dust and dirt it wouldn't play cd's anymore. Taking the top off and cleaning with rubbing alcohol and a Q-tip fixed the problem.

I'm usually pleased with it until I try to use the Dolby Surround, the center speaker seems too weak and the surround speakers don't have enough presence for my liking so I just use the built in DSP in the Live mode most of the time.

Overall it's a good unit for the price and especially the size.

Decent sound, looks cool, good power.

Same problem as the other guy - CD player broke for no reason. Surround system stinks - I drilled holes in the back corners of my living room floor for THIS?

Maybe I'm of the generation that expects everything to just work. Especially if we've paid hundreds of dollars for it. I will never buy another Aiwa product.

I am currently searching online for the optical pickup assembly because my local authorized repair center won't even give me the part #, and they want $125 to fix it.

Screw Aiwa and their service center.

Similar Products Used:

Boom boxes that lasted way longer with lots of abuse. This doorstop sits on a shelf, so why does the CD player break?